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Missing adults, four children found safe

The couple, who were without extra blankets, started a fire outside after the Jeep overturned. They heated rocks and placed them in the spare tire to keep the children, ages 3 to 10, warm at night.

Photos: Ice storm spreads across U.S. 30 photos

Photos: Ice storm spreads across U.S.30 photos

Ice storm spreads across U.S. – Snow covers buses for the Baltimore County Public Schools in Towson, Maryland, on Tuesday, December 10. Snow and ice snarled travel across parts of the United States, hitting major airline hubs in the Northeast.

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Photos: Ice storm spreads across U.S.30 photos

Ice storm spreads across U.S. – A mirror reflects light snow on a sidewalk in New York on December 10.

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Ice storm spreads across U.S. – A man makes his way across a parking lot during a snowstorm in Philadelphia on December 10.

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Ice storm spreads across U.S. – Snow trucks plow along Route 1 in Plainsboro, New Jersey, on December 10.

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Ice storm spreads across U.S. – A car drives up a snow-covered street in Brooklyn, New York, on December 10.

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Ice storm spreads across U.S. – A woman walks past Independence Hall during a snowstorm in Philadelphia on December 10.

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Ice storm spreads across U.S. – Baltimore Gas & Electric lineman Jim Thompson repairs a power line that was damaged by a tree limb in Towson, Maryland, on Monday, December 9.

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Ice storm spreads across U.S. – An American Airlines jet is de-iced at O'Hare Airport in Chicago on December 9. Wintry conditions have caused numerous flight cancellations and delays.

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Ice storm spreads across U.S. – A woman strolls past the Capitol Building in Washington on December 9, after an overnight ice storm hit the region. Federal agencies opened two hours late because of the weather.

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Ice storm spreads across U.S. – Emergency personnel respond to an accident on southbound Interstate 43 in Mequon, Wisconsin, on Sunday, December 8.

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Ice storm spreads across U.S. – Juan Carlos tries to free his vehicle from the snow on December 8 in Wilmington, Delaware.

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Ice storm spreads across U.S. – The Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles face off during heavy snow in Philadelphia on December 8.

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Ice storm spreads across U.S. – A towing company employee works where a semitrailer jackknifed off Interstate 94 in Racine County, Wisconsin, on December 8.

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Ice storm spreads across U.S. – Vehicle traffic on I-35 in Sanger, Texas, is at a dead stop due to icy road conditions on Saturday, December 7.

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Ice storm spreads across U.S. – Motorists struggle to cross the icy bridge leading to Minnis Drive in Haltom City, Texas, Saturday, December 7. Large ice ruts made passage difficult. Ice remains Saturday after low temperatures refroze sleet from Friday's storm that had begun to melt.

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Ice storm spreads across U.S. – Moisture from low-lying clouds coats trees in Virginia's Shenandoah National Park with a layer of ice and frost on December 7.

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Photos: Ice storm spreads across U.S. – A fountain stands frozen in Chandler's Cove at South Lake Union in Seattle on Friday, December 6.

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Photos: Ice storm spreads across U.S. – A pedestrian walks down the street after a heavy snowfall on December 6 in Carbondale, Illinois.

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Photos: Ice storm spreads across U.S. – Icicles hang from mailboxes in Owensboro, Kentucky, on December 6.

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Ice storm spreads across U.S. – A worker at Wilson Air Center de-ices an airplane before it takes off from Memphis International Airport in Memphis, Tennessee, on December 6.

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Ice storm spreads across U.S. – As freezing rain falls, Tyshun Lindsey, 15, rings a bell to get drivers' attention while selling bags of pecans in Memphis on Friday, December 6.

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Ice storm spreads across U.S. – A man clears a path for Christmas tree shoppers in Indianapolis on December 6.

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Ice storm spreads across U.S. – A tree, split in two, lays on two homes on December 6 in Dallas in this photograph taken by CNN iReporter Earl Wallace IV.

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Ice storm spreads across U.S. – A gust of wind collapses Joseph Mezo's umbrella as he walks to work on December 6 in light sleet and ice conditions in Dallas.

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Ice storm spreads across U.S. – Matthew Eller catches air after sliding down a hill and jumping a ramp in Arlington, Texas, on December 6.

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Ice storm spreads across U.S. – A bronze statue is covered in ice December 6 at Grand Prairie Municipal Airport in Grand Prairie, Texas.

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Ice storm spreads across U.S. – Traffic moves slowly along an ice-covered highway in Dallas on December 6.

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Ice storm spreads across U.S. – Jeff Chupp walks his ice-covered bicycle along Great Southwest Parkway in Grand Prairie on December 6.

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Ice storm spreads across U.S. – Stephen LeFlore scrapes ice from his windshield in McAlester, Oklahoma, on Thursday, December 5.

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Ice storm spreads across U.S. – An American Airlines employee hands out cots to stranded airline passengers at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on December 5.

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EXPAND GALLERY

"I have never heard of such a thing, but I think it was pretty clever of him," Paul Burke, who coordinated the rescue effort for the state Department of Public Safety, said of Glanton's tactics.

"To the extent he was ingenious about it, that is one for the books," Burke told CNN on Tuesday evening.

When three residents finally found the family and their vehicle during a massive search, the family had little food left, so resident Salvador Paredes pulled a candy bar from his pocket and shared it with them.

Glanton and McIntee, 25, along with their two children -- Evan and Chloe -- and McIntee's niece and nephew, were taken to Pershing General Hospital.

Doing 'very well'

Dr. Doug Vacek told reporters they all were doing "very well."

"They just expressed that they're really happy and they're going to enjoy this Christmas" more than usual.

Remarkably, the six had no frostbite, instead displaying symptoms of mild hypothermia and dehydration.

Vacek and others recounted the factors that worked in the family's favor: They had water and some food, heavy winter clothing, they stayed near the vehicle and were able to start and maintain a fire.

Speaking of the adults, Chris Montes, another rescuer, told CNN that "obviously they knew what to do. They kept those kids safe 48 hours in subzero temperatures."

The group apparently ran out of food on Monday, he said. The children, Montes said, "did not seem too bothered. They were in good spirits. They just figured they were camping."

Survival expert Joseph Teti said it's the little decisions that add up to an enhanced chance for survival in brutal conditions.

"Mother Nature will not allow you to make too many mistakes at all," said Teti, co-star of Discovery Channel's "Dual Survival."

Massive search

The group was found safe in an area called Seven Troughs, according to the Pershing County Sheriff's Office. They were discovered from a distance by a volunteer searcher using binoculars to scan mountainsides, the sheriff's office said. It wasn't immediately clear which of the three rescuers made the discovery.

The search, which involved at least 200 people and spanned 6,000 square miles, was aided by technology.

Officials remained undaunted despite the fact they no longer received pings off the cell phone of the missing persons, said Sheila Reitz of the Pershing County Sheriff's Office.

On Monday, authorities had been encouraged when they were able to receive a couple of pings from the phone of Glanton. Cell service is spotty because the area is so remote.

The Civil Air Patrol, an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, said its cell phone forensics experts "played a critical role in helping rescuers narrow the search area," according to a statement by the patrol.

"The cell phone forensics team pinpointed where they could not possibly be," Nevada Wing Commander Col. Tim Hahn said in a statement. The forensic efforts "were very time-consuming," he said.

"This morning they provided a key clue that redirected the search and led to the rescue," Hahn said.

Weary and ecstatic

One of the CAP crews spotted the family's Jeep about the same time that the searcher with binoculars found the lost group, the patrol said.

The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center will award the Nevada Wing with six saves, Hahn said. The children's ages are 10, 4, 4 and 3, the patrol said.

Amanda Fitzpatrick, mother of 10-year-old Shelby Fitzpatrick, one of the missing children, joined the search in the bitter cold.

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